White - Chardonnay

The 2016 vintage officially was the last of the drought vintages that began in 2012. While they were all marked by long hot summers and early harvests, both ’15 and ’16 featured lower yields than the preceding years. The upside to low moderate yields is that the grapes that were there picked up added levels of intensity and depth. This vintage was sourced from a variety of vineyards in the Sonoma Coast. These vineyards tended to deliver fully developed flavors at relatively high natural acidity, giving remarkable length and verve. This wine leans towards orchard fruit showing both apple and pear but also hints of tropical fruits and vanilla bean. In the mouth the wine is moderate weight but packs extraordinary depth of flavor, echoing the aroma with fuji apple, meyer lemon, sage and vanilla panna cotta. The finish is all energy with mouthwatering citrus notes.

The Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016 is sourced from sustainably farmed, mostly old-vine, estate and “grower owned” Russian River Valley vineyards. Although this Chardonnay is elegant, it also has a medium to full bodied mid-palate and is partially defined by the crisp acidity and subtle quinine and crystallized ginger notes in the finish.  Gravenstein apple, exotic citrus and floral notes highlight both the aromatic flavor profiles and complement the bright textural elements that make this a delicious Chardonnay!

La Chertosa Reserve Chardonnay is created from vines located on three different sites with three different clones, on the Wildwood Vineyards in North Eastern Sonoma Valley.  The reason for this is to develop layers of flavor due to the site and clonal variation.  The vintners select vineyard sites with red soil because the complexities of red soil create a full mouth-feel and depth. The Sonoma Valley provides the perfect growing conditions for Chardonnay grapes.  The cool climate extends the growing season, allowing them to hang on the vine longer and mature slowly with optimum richness of character.  A warm year and exceptional red soil produced this delicious Chardonnay from the Wildwood Vineyards in Northern Sonoma Valley. The finished wine is a brilliant gold color, full body and a complex layer of varietal flavors well-balanced to the toasty oak character.  A long, smooth finish makes this a wine to thoroughly enjoy with food. Only 775 cases produced.

2014 “mbf” Chardonnay — sophisticated and delicious, elegant and balanced. A little more fruit-forward than previous vintages and with delicious flavors of lemon and green apple, Brenda has once again let the fruit shine through. In this third vintage of mbf Chardonnay, Brenda used 50% stainless steel and 50% new French oak barrel fermentation. Great with seafood!